How About Shaq

Shaq did it with Kobe... He did it with DWade ... how about a three peat with LeBron.

Bring over Shaq and Barbosa for Gibson, Mo Williams, and Ben Wallace.

The two teams swap draft picks as well-- with that pick ... Ty Lawson.

Still go and get Ariza, Grant Hill, and now get Lamar Odom--- Second round pick goes for Nando DeColo (a combo guard).

Mess with that line up.

Lawson
Ariza
James
Odom
Shaq
Barbosa
Hill
Smith
Ilgauskas
West
Decolo

Put it on the AM X and get it done Cavs.
DD

Another Thought For Cleveland

Here is another series of movments in the trade market that could help Cleveland financially and on the court. With the new partner in the ownership box from China, Cleveland should be ready to spend where other markets are dumping salaries.

Transaction #1: Dump Pavlovic, Gibson, and the second round pick for the Nets Yi Jilian and their first round pick.

Transaction #2: Send Mo Williams and Anderson Verejo to Atlanta who is shopping Josh Smith.

Transaction #3: Ilgauskas and the first round pick to the TWolves for Sebastian Telfair, Mike Miller, and first round pick.

Transaction #4: Ben Wallace to Charlotte for Okafor (Charlotte will then dump Wallace's salary to free up cap space for low market free agents).

On the free agent market: Cavs need to pick up Trevor Ariza and make a strong bid for Andrew Bynum as a restricted free agent. Grant Hill should also be a priority. ALL THREE GUYS HAVE BEEN INVOLVED WITH CHAMPIONSHIP ROUND BASKETBALL.

Here is what LeBron's cast should look like:
Point- Telfair
Guard- Ariza
Forward- Josh Smith
Forward- LeBron
Center- Okafor

Second Unit:
Draft Guard- Tyreke Evans
Draft Guard- Gerald Henderson
Sign Guard/F- Grant Hill
Traded For G/F- Mike Miller
Traded For F- Yi Jilian
Sign Restricted FA- Andrew Bynum

Joe Smith and Delonte West are still retained for security.
Play with the finances, the on court combinations, and the locker room make-up (pick up a few guys who have been there before) ... this gets Cleveland in the Championship Round. You surround LeBron with long athletes that allow for him to be moved around both offensively and defensively. You provide him with young and old to allow him to be a student and a teacher. You get him a second and third scorer along with some guys that will bang and defend for him.

Find a way Cleveland. In a time time where everyone is getting conservative, go out and be proactive. There is a small window of opportunity ... remember ... EVERYONE HAS LEBRON JAMES ON THEIR 2010 wish list. Do not make it possible for him to look elsewhere... I'd love to see him in the BIG APPLE personally.

DD

Help Wanted

If you are watching the Cavs/Magic series you're getting chance to see the best player in the NBA "go to work". LeBron James has done everything possible to keep this team alive. They have struggled in two areas: transition defense and second chance points. Alot of this is due to stagnant offense. The Cavs staff is minimizing turnovers by running stationary ball screen action ... but are sacrificing transition d and offensive rebounding...

Everyone in sports commentary is hammering Mo Williams for not stepping up. Two factors contribute to that: the Cavs are not putting him an offensive position to do so and he is not good enough to be a #2 scorer to LeBron.

Danny Ferry just got named NBA executive of the year-- I hope there is a master plan to overhaul this roster to give James a supporting cast to lead to a championship run and to keep him here. James has a power forwards body and point guard skills. How about surrounding him with other players that are long and athletic so you can bump him around the offense and make use of his multi-demensional skills. High ball screen after high ball screen ... I think Orlando has figured it out by now. James is possibly the most dynamic open court player in the game-- get him some horses to run with and provide him with other people that can make plays.

Here is a trade thought for you Danny Ferry:
CAVS GET- Devin Harris, Brooke Lopez from NJ for Gibson, Williams, and Pavolivic
CAVS GET- Rudy Gay and OJ MAYO from Memphis ...
Memphis GETS- Yi, Najera, and Williams (not Mo) from NJ
CAVS GET- Tyson Chandler from New Orleans for Ben Wallace.

Do the numbers ... it works for everyone. Here's who you get to run with next year LeBron:
Devin Harris
OJ Mayo
Rudy Gay
Lebron James
Tyson Chandler

Delonte West
Trevor Ariza (Unrestricted Free agent)
Anderson Verejo
Brooke Lopez
Zydrenas Ilgauskas

Get Omri Casspi late in the first round on that gives you a way to move Verejo for a shooter-- maybe not so often usen JJ Redick. Casspi is one of the most dynamic international signees in the draft- 6-8 pure athlete.

Another thought ... Use Ilgauskas and Verejo as trade bait to move up and take Ty Lawson--

DD


Love to here some other trade idea

Climbing the Coaching Ladder

I hope all of you have enjoyed following the NBA Lottery, the private workouts, and the NBA playoffs. I have a ton of updates for the readers involving those events. It's been a whirlwind keeping up with it all. I am currently following the events in Teviso which showcases the top foreign talent for the draft. I may even tap into some needed roster moves for LeBron and Cavs... with Clevelands new partner from China, James could be the first billion dollar player.

Today, however, I want to hit the college ranks. In reviewing the college openings and the emails from college coaching friends, this is the time of year where there is alot of job jumping. The question I received was; If I think I have a good shot to get a job should I begin recruiting and strategizing for the potential future job so I am ready for it?

ABSOLUTELY NOT!!! My advice to this young coach is to appreciate the job you have. Be as good as you can be at it and that will prepare you for the next job. A major problem with coaching today is that as soon as a person gets a job they seem to be looking for the next job.

I think the biggest struggle I have with this particular email is not the young coach ... but the fact that it was advice given to him him by a 14 year veteran. Operating in this manner prevents people from trusting you: coaches, players, administrators, and recruits.

I would advise appreciating your current job and doing well at it. If the next job presents itself at some point and time ... handle it then.

Don't be so concerned with finding your next job that you forget to perform at your current one.
DD

Orlando Magic

If anyone is following the Celtics-Magic series, you have been treated to great number of special situations that should test your own theories. If you have TEBO start it with 5 minutes to go and you have a 30 possesion classroom session on the do's and don't in crunch time basketball. Look back on my checklist of special situations as a guide. One thing I did not include in the special situations was post game interviews.

Specifically, Dwight Howard had an obviously emotional interview after the game. Howard has developed into one of the elite players in the NBA. Looking into the past-Magic-Paul Westphal; Michael Jordan-Doug Collins; ... Dwight Howard-Stan Van Gundy ???
Do these relationships have anything in common-- I hope not. Magic and Jordan got their coaches fired.

3 Turnovers, 3 missed 3's; 3 airballs ... these 9 misscues represent 9 possessions over the last 5 minutes of the game last night for Orlando. Howard did not touch the ball ... Orlando had to score 1 time to secure victory ...AGAIN HOWARD DID NOT TOUCH THE BALL.

The question posed by every talk show in the sports world is who's fault is it?! I was amazed at how easily Howard turned on Van Gundy in public. The message was clear-- he wanted the ball ... WHY DIDN'T HE DEMAND IT!? Yes, VanGundy calls the plays ... but in the NBA the superstar calls the shots. Would LeBron, Kobe, DWade, Jordan, Bird, Magic ... ever allow a 5 minute stretch to happen where he didn't touch the ball... especially during crunchtime. They certainly wouldn't save their aggressive behavior for the press conference. It would have manifested in a time out or during a dead ball or in a confrontation with their point guard. Maybe Howard has been elevated to an "A" list superstar too early.

Here is a basketball point to consider-- checkout Howard's free throw percentage overall and in the last 4 minutes of a game. Do your own homework on this one and you tell me why the offense does not go through him during crunchtime.

Van Gundy may be emotional ... but he makes sound basketball decisions. Howard asks "why not give the ball to the star" ... if Orlando had one they would.
DD

Chuck Daly

As most of us know, Chuck Daly, former Detroit Piston Head Coach, succumb to pancreatic cancer this past weekend. In reviewing the accomplishments of Coach Daly, one very small, but important coaching point gave me an "AHAA ..." moment.

Before the first practice Coach Daly had with the DreamTeam, he held a private meeting with Michael Jordan and asked one simple question: "Does this team want to be coached?" Daly understood that with or without coaching this collection of the greatest talent of all-time would probably win easily. The point that holds true for any team is this:
You need to be able to coach your best player if your team truly has a chance to be special. In getting Jordan to verbalize that this team wants to be coached he now became accountable for himself and the group. A genius move.

As we can probably guess, Jordan and the group wanted to be special ... they wanted coaching.
His voice will be sorely missed but his teachings will not be forgotten.
DD

Understanding the Game of Basketball- Knight/Newell

Sherlock Holmes once told Dr. Watson that everyone sees but few perceive. In basketball, I believe that all players look but few actually see what is going on. The primary responsibility of a coach is to teach his players to see the game.

The average player who has been taught to see the game is a far greater asset to the team than a player with superior ability who does not see the game as it develops. Seeing the game involves three things:

1. Recognition
2. Anticipation
3. Execution

This is a passage from the book Basketball According to Knight and Newell Volume II. Two of the greatest teachers of all time break down offensive basketball to bare bones. It should be a staple in your library.

DD

Rules for the offensively challenged

I received a politically correct email from a coaching friend in Senegal. He has a player in his main 5 that just can't function on offense. As I researched this topic in my collection of emails over the last 4 months, I realized that this topic has been overlooked by me.

Regardless of the level, we all have experienced that one player that has to play for one reason or another (great defender, outstanding rebounder, principal's son) ... but they just can't score.
How do we exist with them in a 5 man offensive setting? Here are some ideas:

• Pass and go away
• Pass and screen away
• Pass and replace yourself
• Pass and basketcut
• Ball screen
• As the ball comes to your side ... move away to the weakside (keep the weakside active with flare screens and pindowns)
• As the ball comes to your side ... move away to weakside (look to pin down for weakside rebound.
• GET A SUBSTITUTE IN FOR HIM!

I hope this helps in making a limited player functional in your offensive framework.

DD

Offensive Rebounding

Most skills you can do too much (i.e. dribble, shoot, over pass) ... YOU CAN NEVER REBOUND TOO MUCH! Here are some thoughts for offensive rebounders to consider.

• Every shot is a pass to you.
• 90% of second shots are better than the first
• You have to anticipate that every shot is a miss
• You must go to the boards EVERY SINGLE TIME.
• There is approximately a 20% success rate-- can be discouraging.
• On the shot get to the weakside at half the distance of the original shot
• Be at the same angle on the weakside as the shot taken.
• Don't get caught between the shoulder blades of the defender blocking you out
• At least work your way beside the defender-- ideally you want to get inside him.
• Fake one way and go the other--
• Get your momentum going toward the the rim on the rebound - get an AND 1
• If you cannot rebound it at least get a hand on it and keep it alive.

Great offensive rebounders are at a premium these days. Shot selection has become lost in offensive design. It is no longer emphasized ... unfortunately. Until it swings back around, lock in on these offensive rebounding tips and make yourself a valuable resource for your team. Check out the Bird Man for the Denver Nuggets ... he does a good job of making himself a relevant figure on offense through rebounding. Check out how many offensive possessions he keeps alive.

DD

Do your work before you catch

Sorry for the lapse between posts ... My wife and I were welcoming our second child into the world. He can't dribble yet ... give me a few weeks.
While I was away, I had a chance to breakdown some footage on Dirk Nowitzki-- he has not been as celebrated as he should regarding his impact on the game. He is a 7ft tall small forward-- WITH GUARD SKILLS.
Watch him over the course of this next playoff series. He does a few things very well before he catches the ball.

1. He surveys the court before he catches-- this is why his is such a good passer. He knows where everone is before the catch is made.
2. When he starts to get open, he closes the gap between him and the defender. He keeps them from getting foot free.
3. He catches at an angle which allows for a more secure pass (his toes are to the passer) and forces the defense to commit to taking something away.
4. He sees the rim immediately...
5. He changes speeds well
6. He economizes motion-- Dirk understands that for every nano second he wastes jabbing and surveying once he catches, he allows the ball defender to gather himself and allows the help defense to get back into place and be more aware of him.

Pop a tape in the VCR and lock in on some of the ways the better scorers get themselves open and in position to attack offensively. Remove athleticism from the equation and watch the feet ... not the ball. Remember, even the best players only have the ball in their hands 10% of the time at most ... but all ten players are on their feet for 100% of the game.

WATCH THE FEET.

DD